ˈlōb noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French, from Late Latin lobus, from Greek lobos — more at sleep
1. : a curved or rounded projection or division: as
a. : a more or less rounded projection of a body organ or part
lobe of the ear
— see ear illustration
b. : a division of a body organ marked off by a fissure on the surface (as of the brain, lungs, liver)
c. : a division or projection of a plant organ
lobe of a leaf
d. : a rounded projection or dome of a building
2.
a. : a membranous flap on the sides of the toes of some birds (as the coot)
b. : a portion of a suture in a cephalopod shell that forms an angle or curve whose convexity is directed away from the orifice — opposed to saddle
c. : one of the longitudinal divisions of the body or one of the lateral divisions of the glabella in a trilobite
3. : a projecting part of a cam wheel or of a noncircular gear wheel in a machine
4. : a great rounded marginal projection from a continental ice sheet
5.
a. : one of the inflated bags at the stern of a kite balloon that acts either as a fin or as a stabilizer
b. : one of the sections into which the envelope of a balloon is sometimes divided by the tension of the internal rigging
6. : a portion of the radiation pattern of a directional antenna representing an area of stronger transmission of radio signals